Some of the most beloved cartoons of my youth have undergone drastic makeovers in recent years. It’s not surprising that these cartoons are being repackaged for today’s audiences, considering my generation clearly had the best cartoons (italics is the closest I can get to Arrogance font). However, what’s been done to some of them in order to make them fresh for a new generation is alarming.

Other cartoon reboots have stayed mostly true to their roots, the new versions of Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Transformers and even Scooby Doo being fine examples. However, there are several – mostly those aimed at girls – that have been re-illustrated in a sexualized style that has taken classic characters like the short, cherubic Rainbow Brite and turned them into tall, slender tweenagers with tight pants and mini-skirts. Rainbow Brite, Strawberry Shortcake and others have fallen victim in recent years. Not even My Little Pony was safe from receiving sexier eyelash extensions.

The trend of re-inventing innocent childhood characters through the lens of a skimpy Halloween costume designer claimed another victim this past week as the beloved Powerpuff Girls got a makeover for the front of a Cartoon Network-sanctioned comic book. The cover, which you can see below, depicts the bubbly, bright-eyed superheroes as older, leggier women (nay, still girls) wearing thigh-high stockings and latex miniskirts. The skirts show enough leg that they would blatantly fail the end-all “finger-length test” employed in middle schools across the country, which is a problem the original Powerpuff Girls never had to face because a) they didn’t have fingers; and b) they were not baring any portion of their buttocks.

I’m probably going to end up on Chris Hansen’s watch list just by having this in my browser history.
For what it’s worth, Cartoon Network decided not to publish the cover due to the immediate backlash sparked by the overt sexuality of the drawing. Kudos to Cartoon Network for avoiding a PR firestorm, but this is not an isolated trend, and as the father of a nearly two-year-old girl, it’s disturbing.

I was quite unfamiliar with girl toys and cartoons as a child, so the pink wonderland known as the girl’s toy aisle is new territory for me. There’s a common theme among toys targeted to girls over five years of age. Things like Monster High, Bratz dolls, even Disney princesses and Tinkerbell’s crew of fairies show the same slender physiques clad in tight clothing, revealing skinny legs, narrow hips and in some cases, breasts, along with eyes and lips heavily adorned with makeup. As a father trying to raise my daughter to have a healthy body image, it’s difficult to do battle against those sassy-eyed, full-lipped vixens-in-training when they’re nearly everywhere you turn. I know sex sells, or so I hear, but does that mean you should sell it to kids?

There are many examples of children’s cartoons that feature adult-aged women wearing more adult-appropriate attire, Jem and the Holograms being one. However, the fundamental difference is that those characters are clearly shown as full-on women and not caricatures of what seem to be tweenage and teenage girls, which are models that the girls watching those shows are more likely to imitate.

To her credit, the artist of the Powerpuff cover, Mimi Yoon, defended her work saying that her intent was to “illustrate modern, pop cultured, SASSY (not sexy), and humanized Powerpuff Girls who have just beaten the crime lord and have him on the ground.” She called out those who took offense as simply viewing the image through their own “perverted” and “dirty” minds. To defend one’s work so vehemently is a natural reaction for anyone who has ever been brave enough to put any sort of art out there for public consumption, so I don’t begrudge her for taking such a hard stance. However, anytime you can see one-quarter of a Powerpuff Girl’s butt cheek, somebody’s going to throw the Offensive Flag.

But while the main focus here is on the sexual images portrayed by products and media directed at girls, those aimed at boys are just as bad and, I believe, have been blatantly out in the open for longer. I look back at the cartoons I watched as a child – G.I. Joe, He-Man, Silverhawks, etc. – and all featured overly-muscled men wearing spandex or cutoff shirts, solving problems with guns, fists and the Power of Grayskull. Even the Ninja Turtles were built like NFL linebackers, although the newer version of that show, to its credit, toned down the muscle mass considerably. Few people talk about how the same body image constructs that affect girls are also present for boys, but all you need to do is look at the six-pack etched into Batman’s suit to see what images of bodily perfection are being burned into the minds of today’s youth, boys and girls alike.

To try and avoid any of this is an exercise in futility. To try and combat it in one’s ever-powerful role as a parent, however, is easier. Whether you agree or disagree that images like the Powerpuff Girls comic have the potential to encourage dangerous body standards on young, impressionable minds, the fact is that what a child sees now will affect how he or she perceives the world into adulthood.

Just make sure they’re seeing what you want them to see, and if it’s something you don’t approve of, tell them why.

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19 Responses to The Powerpuff Girls get…a sexy makeover?

Danny's Mommasays:

January 29, 2014 at 6:06 am

That picture, is by far, THE most ridiculous thing I have ever seen in my entire life.

I don’t so much have a problem with cartoons or toys that start off with that overly mature image, such as Bratz or Monster High. They started like that, I can choose whether or not to let my kid play with those or watch those cartoons. But WHY, do they need to make over already existing cartoons? If my kid watched Powerpuff girls and loved them in their previous image, and they got the makeover above, and I decided I no longer wanted my kid to watch that, that would be an issue for me. Now I’d have to tell my kid they can’t watch something they already love and I let them watch in the past. Why can’t they leave things alone?

Also, there is NO reason whatsoever that a pony needed to have a more sexualized image. I mean REALLY?

Debisays:

January 29, 2014 at 8:09 am

This PPG makeover is revolting and completely unnecessary. The original PPGs kicked ass all by themselves so why did they have to change anything?

For great insight into media and how females are treated, I highly recommend the Miss Representation documentary – quite well done and very thought provoking. Cartoon characters redone like this only encourage sexism in today’s society.

Temiasays:

January 29, 2014 at 8:18 am

They cannot be serious. PPGs were cute and fierce.

Smiley Mariesays:

January 29, 2014 at 8:22 am

Okay. I am becoming disgusted with some of today’s cartoons. It’s okay to revamp the old out of date cookies and style but come on! Taking the powerpuff girls and turning them into some lust driven vixen looking women is not okay!
They should remain looking as what they are, GIRLS! NOT GROWN WOMEN. I’m pretty sure they have bigger chests than I do! This is why so many little girls just can’t wait to grow up, and then when they do finally hit puberty and they don’t receive the results they expected (aka looking like this) then insets the body dismorphia and eating disorders. Disgusting!!

Smiley Mariesays:

January 29, 2014 at 8:22 am

Clothes** not cookies

Smiley Mariesays:

January 29, 2014 at 8:24 am

Oh and I’m guessing many of us might miss the sick joke that they’re sitting on his face too. Look closer at the picture.

Staceysays:

January 29, 2014 at 8:27 am

Awesome blog post. I agree 100%!

Geekmomsays:

January 29, 2014 at 8:28 am

OK being a cartoon nerd and after seeing this, this is a freaking lie!!!!! I seen this picture for years! This is fan art! Cartoon network have nothing to do with this picture. Cartoon network just did a powerpuff girl robot last week and it wasn’t this! They not changing anything! Only change they did wasa couple years in Japan where they made the girls into like 8 or 10 year olds. They look like kids and was not sexed up. A first me no one gonna be on no black list for this kind of thing cause it fictional characters not a live person. Also I seen a lot worse stuff with kid shows fan art that should not be seen by kids. So just be glad you haven’t seen those yet of your freaking out about this. If you don’t like what you see on the internet stay off it!!! And get your dam facts right before you post some fake crap.

Aislinnsays:

January 29, 2014 at 8:34 am

I once read an article titled ‘ Why do we dress our daughters like whores?’ And the bottome line of all this inappropriate ness aimed at today’s youth is that company’s and the media are training young girls to be shoppers. To have young girls look at their dolls and think ‘I want to look like that’ is how it starts if them needing the same clothes and make up. As a mom of 2 girls, I refuse to purchase Bratz, Monster High, or any other scantily clad dolls. The same goes for clothing company’s with such slogans across the chest like ‘naughty’ or ‘made you look’. If people just stopped watching and purchasing these things, that would send a message to the companies and they would eventually change back to being appropriate. Until then, watch our morals and values decline even further with every generation to come. What will these shows and products be like in 10 years?

Laynesays:

January 29, 2014 at 8:47 am

I actually grew up with the power puff girls, however they were kindergartners in the show. The idea of them being full blown pubescent is disturbing to me in a way that has nothing to do with the sexualization of characters and everything to do with inconsistancy. My daughter is currently watching The Princess And The Goblins. She also watches Little Nemo’s Adventures in Slumberland, and Gummy Bears. She also watches Disney movies which tend to have physically developed girls. It’s about showing all shapes and sizes, not avoiding the ones you disapprove of. Although when my daughter is old enough to handle it she will watch The Black Cauldron, another great image of girls.

Dirk Wood, IDW’s Vice President of Marketing, held Cartoon Network responsible for the image. “That was actually a Cartoon Network-mandated cover, by an artist of their choosing,” he said.

In Cartoon Network Enterprises’ statement regarding the issue, they claimed that the variant cover was not intended for the general public, but for the customers of the comic store: “This particular variant cover for The Powerpuff Girls # 6 from IDW was done in the artist’s signature style and was intended to be released as a collectible item for comic book fans.
————

I still wonder why comic book covers need to sexualize young female characters.

CJsays:

January 29, 2014 at 9:00 am

All this depends on what the target age group is. I remember when the original Powerpuff Girls cartoon came out people were cautioned that it was NOT for young kids, it was for preteens. Since then people have decided that since the main characters are kids then it must be an appropriate show for five year olds. Is the comic book trying to reclaim the 12-18 audience or appeal to the same small children who are (mistakenly) allowed to watch the show?

If we assume that the 12-18 audience is being targeted… Yes the girls are too thin, Yes the childish faces on adult bodies is disturbing, Yes the costumes are short, shiny, and tight. But compared to the costumes of female characters in 12-18 comic books currently, the PPG costumes are positively CHASTE. Observe: http://www.buzzfeed.com/donnad/lady-superhero-costumes-redesigned-by-ladies. To me, this cover is not perfect, but it is a step in the right direction.

Are you freaking kidding me?!?!?!?!!! UGH I am SO DISGUSTED in today’s media!! I will NOT let my child EVER watch that filth! Media is intended to sway your feelings, thoughts, etc.. I stick to the more pure age appropriate shows, Sesame Street, Dora, Disney movies(old school). They are classic, most of them have a lesson in them, whether its numbers and letters, or relations with people, or going on an adventure. What they do NOT HAVE are little mini skirts and full figures. I have seen time and again parents allowing their children to be exposed to that junk, and other more adult appropriate animation, i.e. Family Guy, etc.. For so many reasons, this animation is ALL WRONG. Bring back the REAL Powerpuff Girls! Oh, and while you’re at it, add the real Ninja Turtles, you have destroyed that, too.

mamabadgersays:

January 29, 2014 at 9:39 am

When you look at in light of comment #11 Debi- this makes a lot more sense. It’s a different style of art for a different purpose (uhm, and who frequent those comic book stores? Not 12 year old girls, folks.)

As long as the cartoon characters remain the same (my boys watch, and as of yesterday, the PPF were still little munchkins of love beating up the giant gorilla and keeping Dad safe) then I guess I don’t care if they make alternative art to keep the comic book geeks excited. Nobody called out Wonder Woman or Daisy Duke back in the 70’s, and I can’t think of anyone more sexualized than them…

Jeaniesays:

January 29, 2014 at 12:44 pm

This just strikes me as some pretty contrived outrage? I don’t like it, but I probably would not like 90% of the representations of women to be found in a comic book store. It’s not for the same audience as the cartoon, not being advertised to that audience, so who cares?

Colesays:

January 29, 2014 at 1:04 pm

Wow, fan art deserves its own blog posts now? I hope you never go to DeviantArt, or else that’s all babycenter will be writing about for years.

Get over it. It’s not worth your breath.

michikodesusays:

January 30, 2014 at 8:52 am

I actually thought that this was something that was found on DeviantArt.

I’m with everyone else saying that, if this was published for comic book stores, then it’s actually pretty tame compared to what you CAN find in a typical comic book store. I mean, if you watch The Big Bang Theory, they’ve pretty much got it right.

The PowerPuff Girls did get a make-over in Japan; but they were transformed into your typical “magical girl” genre of anime; and many US fans found it to be too cutesy for their tastes. But it totally fit in with that genre (they also changed the story line a bit too, so that also played a big factor).

Either way, I guess I’m a hypocrite; because I think that this is totally fine in the world of DC/Marvel/Independent Comic books or in the anime world, but when it comes to little girls, dolls like Monster High/Bratz/etc…. are a little too much for girls. Why can’t little girls play with a toy that looks just like them…you know, a little girl?

Jeaniesays:

January 30, 2014 at 10:02 am

Totally agree with comment above. I care a lot less about something like this not aimed at kids, a lot more about why we can’t find more things in the toy aisle for little girls that aren’t aged up and skanked up. My husband saw a Monster High doll for the first time this week at someone else’s house. He didn’t know whether to laugh or cry!

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